Cannabis use (non-medical) in Canada: Technical notes

On this page

• Canadian Cannabis Survey methods
• Canadian Cannabis Survey considerations
• Significance testing
• Additional details
• Suggested citation

Canadian Cannabis Survey methods

The CCS uses a 2-step recruitment process. First, respondents are recruited by phone (landline or mobile) from lists of random telephone numbers. Respondents who pass a set of screening questions are then sent a link to an online survey, either by email or short message service (SMS) to their mobile phones. The average time to fill out the 2024 CCS was 26 minutes for respondents who reported using cannabis within the past 12 months and 14 minutes for respondents who reported that they had not used cannabis.

Canadian Cannabis Survey considerations

When recruited, respondents were informed that the survey was about cannabis. This information may have created a participation bias in that those who use cannabis may have been more likely to complete the survey. For this and other methodological reasons, the CCS may provide prevalence estimates for cannabis use that are higher than other Canadian population-level surveys.

In 2023, the phrases ‘for non-medical purposes’ and ‘for medical purposes’ were removed from several survey questions; people who had used cannabis for any purpose in the past 12 months were asked the same questions. This served to significantly shorten the survey while still allowing response rates to be disaggregated by cannabis use. These changes were retained in 2024.

Health Canada monitors the prevalence of cannabis use among Canadians using several population surveys, including the Canadian Alcohol and Drugs Survey (CADS), the Canadian Community Health Survey (CCHS), and the Canadian Student Tobacco, Alcohol and Drugs Survey (CSTADS). CADS 2019 indicates that 21% of Canadians age 15 and older (or 6.4 million) had used cannabis in the previous 12 months (22% among age 15 to 19 years; 45% among age 20 to 24 years; and 19% among age 25 years and older). CCHS 2023 similarly indicates that 21% of Canadians aged 15 and older (or 6.4 million) had reported cannabis use in the previous 12 months. CSTADS 2021/22 indicates that 18% of students in grades 7 to 12 (approximately 383,000) had used cannabis in the previous 12 months.

Significance testing

Tests for statistical significance were done using regression analyses of the variables across waves of the survey. Follow-up contrasts were conducted to examine year to year comparisons.

Additional details

• Canadian Cannabis Survey 2018 — Summary
• Canadian Cannabis Survey 2019 — Summary
• Canadian Cannabis Survey 2020 — Summary
• Canadian Cannabis Survey 2021 — Summary
• Canadian Cannabis Survey 2022 — Summary
• Canadian Cannabis Survey 2023 — Summary
• Canadian Cannabis Survey 2024 — Summary

Suggested citation

Canadian Cannabis Survey. Cannabis use for non-medical purposes among Canadians (aged 16+). Ottawa: Health Canada; December 2024.